The Memoirs of Lily Chen
by MistyOwl
Summary: We all know Lily as the sassy head of New York's vampire clan. There is more to her than she is willing to show... Have a look inside her mind in these untold scenes of companionship and unrequited love with Raphael Santiago. A series of one-shot vignettes written for those who love their friendship too. Platonic, bittersweet, slightly OOC Lily/Raphael. Requests are welcome!
1. Below Decks

_New York City, 2000_

 _-Inspired by Ghosts of the Shadow Market: Son of the Dawn-_

… … … ...

"Is there only room for one? Lily needs to be secured. I am responsible for her."

She recalled his words as she entered the dark musty cargo hold, keeping her face down out of habit for the rare moments when her expression betrayed her thoughts. Lily hated this sometimes, the convoluted signals of Raphael Santiago. From his chilling tone devoid of emotion whenever he addressed her to the bold sacrifice in battle on the deck as he shielded her from wolves, she was left thoroughly puzzled, though she tried not to dwell on it. There were always scraps of proof, if one looked hard enough, of his care for her, but she dared not expect anything more.

Lily settled her body and her thoughts, lying awake on the cold floor of the hold and staring at the door. _Anytime now_ , she thought. _Or I'm going to have to drag him back here seconds before the sun rises._ She rolled her eyes briefly before her exasperation began to turn to worry. She knew from decades of shadowing him as a frequent companion Raphael Santiago had a stubborn will. He would indeed stay out until dawn if he so wished, but she doubted he would exceed the tolerance level. Feeling resigned, she sighed, closed her eyes and tried to rest.

"...Those names Lily came up with were very bad." Raphael's voice drifted under the door and Lily stirred at the mention of her name. _Must be talking to Brother Zachariah_ , she smirked at the other names she called him in front of Raphael. They were intentional, of course. Her own strange, hilarious defense mechanism. She had to admit she enjoyed the harmless flirting, even though it was made to her clear decades before that her dead heart seemed to awaken only in the company of a certain Spanish vampire with the face of an angel.

"... And I don't know that she was joking. I'd watch yourself next time you're in New York." Lily raised an eyebrow at the confidence in his tone. He really didn't know, did he? Or perhaps he did and chose to ignore it. Either way she decided perhaps this professional friendship- she thought they ought to be considered friends at this rate despite his vehement denial- was for the best. Though she still hoped faintly that Raphael might one day return her feelings, Lily knew it was highly unlikely. She would learn to be content with anything he was willing to give. If his feelings toward her were purely platonic, then so be it. Lily could only hope the Silent Brother was as fooled as Raphael.

She flinched slightly as his next words came out bitter and sharp. "For your information, I do not have any interest in romance of any kind and never will. Now can you please drop this revolting subject?" Her heart twisted a little as the evidence confirmed something she had already begun to suspect. She sighed and turned her back on the door trying to tune out the rest of the conversation. What Raphael contemplated in moments like these were none of her business. With their mutual respect, she owed him that much.

… … … …

The sound of a door shutting stirred Lily from her restless slumber, but she remained silent listening to her companion's soft footfalls as he approached and sat down beside her.

"I know you're awake, Lily."

She sighed dramatically to mask her true emotions. "Back so soon, Raph?" she drawled, using the nickname she called him when they were alone that he seemed to have accepted over the years.

"Shadowhunters are never the best company," he scoffed. "You know this."

She hummed sarcastically and rolled over to face him. "I thought Brother Snackariah would have done it for you."

He gave her a long, intense stare. "You can stop that now."

Lily pouted but fell silent as he lie down, not daring to ask what he and the Silent Brother discussed or how they came across the topic of love. She kept her eyes averted as she tried to ignore his presence.

"Is something wrong?"

His tone was not entirely compassionate, but she was surprised to detect a hint of concern. Turning to face him, she summoned the most confident voice she could muster. "Not at all."

Raphael did not look at all convinced. "If you have an issue, Lily, I suggest you resolve it before coming back to Dumort. The clan cannot afford personal distractions."

 _I can handle it. You have no idea how long I've managed._ She bit her lip and sighed into the darkness, trying her hardest to sound nonchalant. "I'll sleep it off."

He nodded curtly before closing his eyes. "Rest then."

 _I'll certainly try_ , she thought cynically and watched him a bit hurt. _You don't make this easy Raphael._ Lily knew she wouldn't be able to relax in this state, with her mind partially scrambled. Against her will and better judgement, she blurted, "Wait."

He clicked his tongue a little in annoyance. "Yes?"

A million confessions laced through with apologies formed on her tongue, but she swallowed them all back in an instant. "I… How is your arm?"

He spared her a glance. "Fine. Healing."

She pursed her lips, wondering why she was able to speak her mind to every person but one. Instead, she mumbled, "I still think you shouldn't have done it, Raph."

"What do you know?" She could hear the scowl in his words.

She blinked and tried for some sarcasm. "Well all this time I've just been your royal pain in the ass, so you don't know that I was even worth saving."

Raphael paused for so long that she almost thought he fell asleep until she heard his quiet reply. "You are, Lily."

She stared at him, rendered speechless by his uncharacteristic tenderness and unsure how to respond. By the time she gathered herself back together, she was sure Raphael had already fallen asleep, visibly relaxed.

Lily took a moment to observe him, as it was a rare occurrence to be able to. It usually irritated him when he caught people staring, and she had learned to be discreet. He really did have the face of an angel, she realized, more evident now in slumber without his usual sour expressions. _Unfortunate that his personality doesn't match,_ she thought playfully, then frowned as she reminded herself that he had been through hell and back in his past. Perhaps his attitude was justified.

Although she did not know exactly what his past consisted of, she concluded years ago that he was a far better man than he gave himself credit for. Lily was the only one in the New York clan to believe it, and she remained loyal to him for that reason. The disappointment over her own unrequited romantic love would not change her fondness toward him because she knew she loved him in other ways as well. Other ways that she hoped could be returned, in time. _Raph_ , she thought sadly as she reached out lightly grazing his cheek, _you deserve better than what fate gave you._

It was then that he shifted a little closer to her in his sleep, which she did not expect, and wrapped one arm around her protectively, which she expected even less but relaxed regardless. The position was not flirtatious or sexual in any way, but simply a comfort and security for them both. A symbol that they were indeed friends who cared for one another, even if he would not consciously admit it. A symbol of support.

In this moment, she decided Raphael needed someone to see his better self. If she, Lily Chen, could do that for him, then that was enough.


	2. Corruption

_New York City, 2007_

 _-Inspired by The Bane Chronicles: The Voicemail of Magnus Bane and City of Heavenly Fire-_

… … … …

Lily trudged through the halls of Hotel Dumort, chanting a steady stream of curses in her head. If she had to add another one of those ridiculous titles to her list of things to call Her Majesty, she thought she might go insane. _This bitch makes Camille look like a saint,_ she sighed and knocked when she reached her destination.

Frustrated muttering in Spanish could be heard from inside the room before the door was yanked open. "What do you need, my queen?" Raphael mocked disdainfully as he examined his fingernails.

She raised an eyebrow silently and waited for him to look up.

After a moment, he did. "Oh. It's you. Why are you here again?"

"Don't sound so disappointed," she teased. "I'm just here because you seem to be the only one around here who hasn't fallen for her feminine wiles yet."

"I am not persuaded by anyone's feminine wiles," he said smugly.

 _Don't I know_ , she rolled her eyes. "May I come in?"

"That's fine." These visits were becoming a regular occurrence. He opened the door for her and glanced furtively down the hall before locking it. One could never be too careful these days, although most members of the clan knew better than to bother Raphael. She was the only one allowed into his room. They were each other's sane company since the clan fell under Maureen's rule.

"So, are you up to anything exciting tonight Raph?" She perched on the edge of his bed careful to respect his privacy.

"Actually, you're just in time for the nightly call to that Hot Topic place."

She laughed. "No. Really? I thought that was Elliott's job."

"It used to be." He scowled. "I want to die. Again."

"How bad can it be? They already think we're some weird-ass cult." She smirked and settled down to listen as he dialed the number on his room telephone. Shegave him an expectant look and he reluctantly put the call on speaker. _Oh, this would be entertaining._

"Hi, you've reached Hot Topic," a sassy sales lady answered. "We're about to close so I'm afraid we are no longer taking calls at this time."

"Try that again," Raphael said coldly.

"Dude, this isn't a 24-hour line-"

Raphael growled fiercely and Lily snickered as the girl gave in.

"Hi... you've reached Hot Topic? How may I help you today?"

"Greetings, Hot Topic, esteemed emporium for gothic merchandise, from Raphael Santiago of the New York vampire clan, loyal servant of our glorious Queen Maureen, forever may she reign in dark glory, and the future Prince Consort Simon…" he paused to roll his eyes, "babelicious rock god."

 _What?_ Lily stifled a giggle. Maureen had always made ludicrous demands since her rise to power, but this Simon addition to the phone call script was new. She never thought she would hear the word 'babelicious' come out of Raphael's mouth, almost making the dirty look he shot her worth it.

"Uh." The sales associate sounded slightly overwhelmed. "So... you guys are a group of vampire wannabes? Cool. What can I do for you?"

Raphael gave the phone an exasperated sigh. "We recently requested a shipment of leather clothing from your stocks. Check on the status of that."

"Just a sec." A faint tapping of keys could be heard. "Oh yeah, the one going to Hotel Dumont? Isn't that the creepy abandoned hotel in the bad part of town?"

"You ask too many questions," he snapped, causing Lily to raise an eyebrow. "Now answer mine."

"Okay, okay! It's on its way. Should arrive in a week." The poor girl sounded desperate to get off the phone. "Is that all?"

"Not yet," Raphael changed his tone to one sweeter and richer. "You will forget this conversation. You will spend more time with your family and avoid the Hotel Dumont for the rest of your life. Do you understand?"

"Yes…" came the dazed reply before the call dropped.

Lily smiled. Raphael had the best _encanto_. His was the most soothing, the most convincing that everything would be okay. Sometimes she would give anything to be affected by it.

The second he put down the telephone though, she yelped as he collapsed onto the bed facedown, groaning in frustration. "Never. Again."

She smirked. "Two out of ten, would not recommend?"

"Zero." He smirked back then softened, barely enough for her to notice. "Lily, I wanted to tell you something."

She blinked curiously. "Yes?"

Just then a knock on the door interrupted him, accompanied by the dreaded singsong voice. "Raphie it's me! Open u-up!"

Lily scowled. "Queen Bitch is back."

Raphael pinched the bridge of his nose and stood. "Stay hidden."

… … … …

Lily listened quietly from her secure spot on the corner of Raphael's bed as Maureen boasted over Simon Lewis' capture, her plan to rule over all of the Night Children, among other things as though asking for advice. She rolled her eyes sending silent messages to the clan leader to pass the time.

 _Raphael will never be your second-in-command._

 _You're just a power-hungry brat who doesn't understand Downworld politics._

 _Fledglings don't know shit about running a clan._

 _Raphael would make a better leader than you will ever be._

Finally, she heard Maureen blow a kiss before the door shut firmly. She faked a gag as Raphael joined her back on the bed. "So what did she want?"

"To destroy the fate of the Night Children," he deadpanned. "She isn't fit to be a leader."

"No," she agreed thinking of how much more suitable he was. "But what can we do about it?" She already knew his answer. He had that spark in his eye.

"I have a plan. It would involve making a deal with Simon Lewis."

She raised an eyebrow. "He hates you. Why don't you let me come with you instead?"

Raphael gave her a look. "You know why, Lily."

She fell silent. Simon was expendable. She was not. He was choosing his chess pieces to sacrifice for war... but one of those pieces included himself.

"Promise me you'll be careful?" She bit her lip trying not to show weakness that she knew he would disapprove of.

He nodded slowly, pausing. "Remember when you asked me what you would do without me?"

 _Something practical, I hope._ She fought to keep her eyes dry. "Yes. I remember."

"I hope you will hold true to that now." He looked at her.

"Okay," Lily promised softly. "When do you leave?"

"I will visit Simon tonight. If he agrees to my terms, I plan to take him to Idris with me."

"Oh." She understood his intentions from a diplomatic perspective, but that didn't stop her from wishing there were easier ways.

"You can stay here if you'd like," he patted her shoulder briefly. "I'll stick around."

She nodded and curled up on his sheets, watching him until she began to relax. "Goodbye, Raph," she mumbled as her eyes fluttered shut. "Take care of yourself for me."

He simply took her hand in response, the weight of unspoken words hanging above them both. _Lily_ , he had said. _I wanted to tell you something._

When she awoke again, he was already gone. Little did she know that would be the last time she saw him. What he had meant to say to her remained a mystery forever.


	3. Of Love and Loss

**Hello readers! I am back with more content on this little character study of Lily Chen. The setting in this chapter is Luke and Jocelyn's wedding, with many offscreen moments that I felt should be incorporated. Thank you so much for being patient with me and please enjoy.**

 _New York City, 2007_

 _-Inspired by City of Heavenly Fire-_

… … … …

Existence was very different without Raphael. Each day seemed to lose its purpose. Time slowed to a crawl as she thought about him, wondering if perhaps despite everything, he was able to ascend to Heaven after all. As the thought crossed her mind, she shook them away and scolded herself for hoping the impossible. _Hell would have received a good soul,_ she thought instead, rather somberly. _Though it does not deserve him._

Lily listened to the sounds of traffic as she continued down the street, missing the way they used to speed through it all together on Dumort's motorcycles. She had grown so used to Raphael over the decades, his steadfast company, and discovered the difficulty in accepting such finality in his absence. Even now in her red cocktail dress strutting along with a confidence she did not truly feel, Lily found that she would often turn to share a snicker or some sarcastic comment with Raphael only to remember he was never coming back. She saw the irony of the situation: a vampire venturing to Edom, a realm of Hell, and meeting true damnation in his fate. With any other person, she probably would have giggled. But this was Raphael, her closest friend, whose death hurt more than a million others combined. She couldn't have laughed if she tried.

Arriving at her destination, she shifted her weight on her stilettos in preparation for the company of shadowhunters. Before Clarissa Fairchild, they cared for nothing but themselves and Lily had despised them. She and Raphael mutually agreed to never seek their help in matters of the Downworld. Even she had to admit, however, times changed. The new generation of Nephilim grew much more accepting of such a coexistence. Thinking of Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane, she allowed herself a small smile. _Alec is so like Raph_ , Lily's mind echoed faintly as another sharp twinge struck her.

She cleared her throat harshly and reminded herself of her purpose here as she entered. The bustle of organized chaos rang in her ears and the crowd swallowed her, leaving her wishing she did not come alone. A few flashes of red hair later, Lily heard Clarissa politely welcoming her to Jocelyn's wedding. She nodded curtly and couldn't help the resentment coursing through her. _If your brother hadn't been an evil lunatic, Raphael would still be here._ She approached the piano in silence, wondering if Clary even knew what happened. Perhaps she didn't, and it wasn't fair to treat her like she did. Only those in the Downworlder Council witnessed it.

Lily's heart flooded with an overwhelming sadness and she sunk onto the bench feeling numb. _Why did it have to be us? Him?_ In the face of the Seelies' betrayal, Lucian and Magnus survived. Hell, Lucian survived to wed. Only the vampire community suffered a casualty. _Perhaps because we are already damned,_ she thought bitterly. She glanced around at all the smiling faces and felt slightly sick. Briefly, she wondered why she'd thought it was a good idea to volunteer her time as the pianist for a shadowhunter wedding.

She busied herself fussing with the piano to lighten her mood when she heard a smooth familiar voice. "Lily Chen."

"Magnus," she greeted without looking up. "Nice to see a fellow Downworlder in this mess."

"I'm only here as Alec's plus one," he grinned good-naturedly. "Who did you come with? Still flirting with that Zach guy?"

"His name is Zeke and no, I ended that in 1959." She rolled her eyes. "Besides, I doubt the designated pianist is supposed to bring a date."

The warlock raised a glitter eyebrow. "Since when did you volunteer to participate in ceremonies of the Nephilim?"

Lily played a few warm-up scales for a moment to avoid answering. "Dumort is ever so dull now," she drawled dramatically. "If you must know, I'm briefly escaping my duties as clan leader."

If Magnus saw through her blatant lie, he did not show it. Instead he opted for a chuckle. "Breaking rules already, Lily?"

"Oops, don't tell Raphael." It had slipped out unintentionally and after an awkward silence, she closed her eyes wishing she could swallow back the words. Fortunately, she only felt Magnus pat her shoulder before turning to mingle with other guests.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she began the soft entertainment music and couldn't help letting her mind wander. As Jocelyn and Luke's wedding ceremony unfolded, she lost herself in the past.

" _Still playing that bitter tune, Lily? It's dreadful." Raphael sauntered into the music room with a smirk._

 _She fought the urge to roll her eyes and continued playing. "Still having the personality of an gnarly old man, Raph? It's dreadful."_

 _He only arched an eyebrow in silent challenge and she inwardly allowed herself a smug pat on the back. Surprisingly, he sat beside her on the piano bench. "This is the fifteenth day in a row that I've heard this," he observed mildly. "The clan was about to come throttle you if I didn't do something about it."_

 _Lily sighed, stopping the music abruptly. "It is a beautiful piece."_

" _It's a haunting piece. Beautiful perhaps, but there's something dark beneath." Raphael folded his arms, an unspoken question weighing down the silence. What's wrong?_

 _She decided not to tell even him. They were friends now, but even friends kept secrets from each other. She knew very little of his family before he Turned and she felt it was better not to ask. It was only fair for him to respect her silence too. Vampires rarely spoke of their lives before immortality. Instead, she glanced at him and shrugged nonchalantly. "The song alludes to death, obviously."_

" _I see," was all Raphael said before falling silent._

 _The piano sang of love and loss, and he remained beside her offering support and a sense of camaraderie through the night, almost as though he knew she needed him._

Lily snapped out of her memory, realizing she had subconsciously begun playing the same bittersweet piece as she thought of Raphael and their time together. Decades passed in the blink of an eye, too quickly for her liking. Life is short, as the mortals say, and Lily had to agree. She closed her eyes and tried to transition out of the sorrowful tune into one more appropriate for a wedding.

The reception commenced a few pieces later. She finished off the music gracefully and muttered to someone that she was tired of playing before excusing herself. She made her way to a corner and observed the crowd. There were moments when she could have sworn she saw Raphael among them, only to have him disappear again when she blinked. Each time, she bit her lip as her heart broke a little more. He really was gone, and she may never see him again. Immortality was a curse she was willing to bear in his honor to lead the New York Clan the way he would have wanted.

Unable to watch any longer Lily lowered her head and smoothed out her dress, reminding herself why she had come here. In a different city, only a few months ago, Raphael had held her hand, given her one of his rare smiles, and told her to wear this dress again. Here at Lucian and Jocelyn's wedding, she kept her promise. _For him._

... ... ... …

 **Thank you for reading! Do you think I should continue with this story? Feel free to leave me a review if you'd like!**


	4. Duties of the Boss

_New York City, 1993_

 _-Inspired by events in Ghosts of the Shadow Market: The Land I Lost-_

… … … …

Lily roamed through Dumort breezily on her morning rounds, greeting vampires as they passed, before stopping at the door of the clan leader's office. Camille was out for the long term again, which meant Raphael was probably there filling in for the duties of clan leader. In her totally unbiased opinion, he was much more competent for the job.

"Don't bother knocking, Lily." Raphael drawled from the other side of the door. "I can hear you coming from a mile away."

She giggled and opened the door. "Because we're vampires?"

"Because," Raphael rolled his eyes as he signed another document. "you insist on wearing those clamorous platform boots everywhere."

"It's a new trend this decade. It's called _grunge._ " Lily perched on the edge of the leader's desk, crossing her fishnet-clad legs to make a point.

"I have never cared about fads of the times and I still don't." He eyed her and moved aside a stack of papers in slight annoyance.

She surveyed his usual white button-up shirt and slacks. "Clearly." She smirked and leaned in playfully even as he scowled. "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?"

"No." Raphael sat stiffly in the leader's chair, bringing the next document up to his face partly to read and partly to block her from coming too close. "I already know you're here to annoy me even more than these amendment propositions do."

Lily blinked and drew back, chastising herself as she watched him scour another paragraph. "Well I'm not." She hopped off the desk and smoothed out his jacket on the chair. "Actually, I'm your reminder that you need to take a break."

He waved her off as he always did. "Not until I finish these."

"Raphael, it's almost noon," she sighed and pulled up a chair to sit beside him. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Not unless you have an idea for tighter security around here. It's obvious we are still lacking even after I hired those werewolves to attack us." He waved the document around until she snatched it from his hands. "You would think that- Hey!"

Lily analyzed the attached blueprints of Dumort for a moment while Raphael glared, then spread them out for him to see. "We could add reinforcements here," she pointed at one of their weaker entrances. "Maybe?" She glanced at him for approval.

He scowled, but looked closer. "It could work," he said slowly.

Lily allowed a small smile to herself. That was the closest Raphael got to a compliment. "Ultimately, it is up to you," she admitted softly. "You're the boss after all."

He only nodded and made a few notes.

She continued to watch him work, dozing off occasionally and heeding a few specific resolutions he decided in case she ever needed to assist in leading the clan. Many of his choices were not exactly in line with what Camille would have wanted, but Lily had always been considerably more loyal to Raphael. He was the only vampire she ever knew who played his actions wisely and with the clan's best intentions in mind.

As the sun rose higher in the sky and the room began to heat up even through their blackout curtains, Lily decided it was time to urge Raphael to rest. She tapped his shoulder a few times, only to be shrugged off. "Leave me alone, Lily," Raphael huffed. "I'm almost done."

She stopped immediately and waltzed casually back to the door. "Well, I'm going to get a drink," she pretended to fan herself and smirked. "Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?"

"Figuratively or literally?" He raised a judgmental eyebrow.

"Both!"

Lily ducked out the door before Raphael's leather jacket could hit her.

… … … …

By the time she finished her third round of cold O-negative with Elliott (who had brought in his latest batch of selkie lovers much to her chagrin) and made a different drink for Raphael, Lily found the clan leader's office empty. She brought the glass of blood to the only other place she knew he would be.

"Raph?" she knocked softly on the door of his room.

When there was no answer, she pushed open the door and peeked in to see him resting on the bed. "Oh."

This was not the first time Raphael insisted on finishing Camille's overdue paperwork before collapsing from exhaustion. Lily was used to it by now. She entered quietly and sighed as she watched him. He would never consciously admit that leadership duties tried his energy as much as they tried his patience, but she had noticed after all these years. She set the glass of blood down on the bare floor- Raphael's room had no nightstand- and turned to leave.

"Lily." Raphael was blinking up at her owlishly. "Why are you still up?"

She paused, sitting on the edge of his bed as she often did, and gestured to the glass. "I thought you might be hungry."

"I'll drink it later," he rolled to his side turning his back to her. "And your boots are still irritatingly loud."

Lily smiled. "Sorry." She glanced at him knowing he was not sleeping yet. To the untrained eye, it would be impossible to tell that he had something on his mind, but she knew him well. She also knew better than to ask. Raphael never particularly enjoyed talking about feelings.

"I still remember the first night after you implemented higher security here," she said instead. "It was the first genuinely restful night I spent at Dumort, all thanks to you and your hired werewolves."

When he didn't reply, she continued quietly, "You were kind to me that night, Raph. It's pretty rare to see that from you, and I'm grateful."

"Stop being disgusting, Lil." Those were words he frequently used when anyone brought up anything remotely related to love, but this time they didn't quite have the usual bite to them. She decided that maybe he was just tired.

Lily sighed. "All I'm saying is you helped me sleep better since then, even if it was indirectly… So I can help you now, if you want me to. Think of it as a favor for a favor?" She watched the curls on the back of his head, expecting him to snap at her to shut up or get out as he would do when others bothered him.

Raphael stayed silent as he appeared to consider her offer. Then, as if the words were a heavy weight on his tongue, he mumbled, "You could stay for a while."

"Okay," Lily shifted on the bed and stared silently at her boots. She would probably need to stay here for the rest of the day if she did not want to risk waking him again, but she had no problem with that. It was a solace to be with him, she thought, although there was no one else who shared her sentiment for Raphael's company.

Perhaps it was how he seemed to loosen his tough act and lower his walls around her. Perhaps it was how he treated her, sweeter in his own way than he treated everyone else, and entrusted her with information, ideas, and secret missions. Or perhaps it was just him, an essence of something purely Raphael, a mixture of tortured, angelic beauty and sarcastic wit shielding his broken soul. Lily only knew that whatever the reason was, she loved him with all of her fragile, immortal heart and she always will.

She reached out to stroke his hair, but curled her hand into a fist at the last second. No. He could not know. It was not worth the explanation she would owe, or the burden her feelings would place on him.

 _Sleep Raph,_ she thought, smiling gently at his peaceful expression. _I'll watch the doors._

… … … …

A knock sounded at the door and it creaked open cautiously, startling Lily from her daydream. "Hey Lily?" Elliott stood in the doorway of the room holding a black leather jacket in his hand. She blinked, realizing that it was Raphael's, and wondered for half a second why the owner had not already snatched it out of Elliott's grasp.

Before she could ask, Elliot trudged inside the bare room and handed it to her gingerly. "You left this in the clan leader office. I thought you might want it back."

The icy fist of loss tightened swiftly in her chest as she remembered the present day. "Right." She steeled her expression, forcing a casual smile as she held the jacket close to her chest. "Thanks, Elliott. You know I can't lose a jacket of this quality."

The other vampire only gazed at her, uncharacteristically worried. "Er… will you be okay?"

"Just taking trips down memory lane," she mumbled, glancing at the cross hanging on the hook in the wall. It meant nothing and everything to her all at once.

When Elliott followed her line of sight, Lily cleared her throat hastily and tried to adopt a brighter tone. "So! Is Alec here yet?"


End file.
